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A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to clips for use in securing coaxial cables and wires to a mounting surface, such as a floor, wall, or ceiling, using a mechanical fastener.
2. Description of the Background Art
The use of clips for securing cables to a mounting surface is known in the art. Cable clips are often used to secure TV, electrical wiring, or computer cables to a mounting surface such as a floor, interior and exterior walls, ceiling, or any other suitable mounting structure. The clip is often attached by a mechanical fastener, such as a nail or screw, driven into the mounting surface through an aperture formed in the clip.
A wide variety of cable clips designs are disclosed in the background art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 331,358, issued to Sachs, discloses a cable clip having an arcuate portion for securing a cable and a trapezoidal section connected thereto defining an aperture for receiving a fastener. U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 342,013 and Des. 349,038, also issued to Sachs, discloses alternate configurations for a cable clip. U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,100, issued to Merritt, discloses a cable clip assembly defining an inverted U-shaped portion sized for receipt of a single cable, and a body portion adapted for being penetrated by a threaded fastener. U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,474, issued to Bradley, discloses a cable clip assembly having a cable-receiving portion with a plurality of longitudinal grooves that allow a portion of the clip to deform in a crimping action to secure the cable.
While the devices disclosed in the background art appear adequate for the basic purposes for which they have been specifically designed, they fail to provide a cable clip adapted for securing both TV and ground wire or messenger wire in a locked configuration for subsequent fastening to a mounting surface. As a result of the shortcomings of the background art, there has exists a need for a new and improved cable clip.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings and disadvantages in the art by providing a cable clip having a locking jaw structure capable of securing a coaxial cable for subsequent mounting to a surface. A cable clip according to the present invention is fabricated in the form of a plastic clip having upper and lower jaw portions having a cable-retaining opening defined by interior surface adapted for receiving at least one cable therein. The jaw portions are connected so as to be generally positionable between an open configuration wherein at least one cable may be insertably received, and a closed configuration wherein the cable is secured within the clip body. An automatically engaging locking mechanism and interlocking teeth on the upper and lower jaw portions provide for the alignment of the jaws and securing of the cable prior to mounting. The upper and lower jaw portions each define a fastener-receiving aperture for securing the clip (and cable) to a mounting surface.
During installation, the cable(s) to be retained is placed in the cable-retaining opening while the clip jaws are disposed in the open configuration and secured by closure of the clip jaws, which are secured in the closed configuration by the automatically engaging locking mechanism. The cable is then secured to a mounting surface by insertion of a mechanical fastener, such as a nail or screw, through the fastener receiving apertures.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cable clip.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cable clip having locking upper and lower jaws.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cable clip having upper and lower jaws with projecting teeth for alignment of the jaws in a locked configuration.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved locking clip capable of simultaneously securing multiple cables.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.